


Ramien May 2018

by Clockwork_Dragon



Series: Ramien drabbles [1]
Category: Original Work
Genre: Action, Additional Warnings In Author's Note, Angst, Asexual Character, But also, Drabble, Everyone Is Gay, Fluff and Angst, Implied/Referenced Character Death, M/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Part of a larger series, Romance, Temporary Character Death, a long drabble, but its not relevant here, except for like 1 minor character, ish, part of a series, probably, queer platonic relationship (mentioned), sort of its complicated, stay safe my guys gals and nonbinary pals, that is still not finished, uh there's also
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-08
Updated: 2020-01-17
Packaged: 2021-02-27 09:27:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 6,439
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22174783
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Clockwork_Dragon/pseuds/Clockwork_Dragon
Summary: It was a normal day. Just two bros from the 1800s who are dead working together. Oh, and they're married. That too. But it was a normal job, like any of the others they had gone on before. But then the plot decided to start happening.OrThe author got carried away while writing a backstory and wound up with this mess
Relationships: Original Character(s)/Original Character(s), Original Male Character/Original Male Character
Series: Ramien drabbles [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1596172
Kudos: 2





	1. Chapter One

**Author's Note:**

> I'm sorry if some stuff doesn't make sense, there's a whole universe I've made and this is just a snapshot of it. I plan on eventually making a main story line, this is a backstory that got way out of hand.
> 
> Tw: hospital, blood, death mentions (the two main characters died in the 1800s and acknowledge that, no one dies on screen), dead body, mentions of marriage, and I think that's it. If there's anything I missed, let me know!

Damien anxiously fiddled with his twine necklace as he sat in the hospital room next to Ray. His face was a few shades paler than it usually was, not that being technically dead helped with the matter. But still, Damien couldn’t help but replay in his mind, again and again, the moment where things went terribly wrong.

\-----

It was a bright, sunny day, a relief from the week of rain they had had. They were on a standard patrol, flying wing by wing, circling over the city below them. A companionable silence stretched between them as they kept their eyes on the streets below, searching for anyone who might need their help. After a few minutes, Ray spoke up, 

“I’m glad the rain finally stopped. It was getting to the point where I swore I would never be dry again.” As Damien was about to agree with him, he caught a glimpse of silver below them.

“Did you see that?” 

“Hm?”

“Down there, in that alley?” Ray squinted, then nodded.

“Yeah, I see it. Looks like we’re needed again.” Without another word, the two of them flew down, wingtips almost scraping the sides of the brick walls on either side of them. The pair landed efficiently on either side of the body that lay on the concrete ground.

“What do you think it was?” Damien asked, kneeling next to the corpse, who was giving off a gentle silver glow.

“Who knows? Overdose, perhaps? Seeing as there’s no sign of a struggle.” Ray replied, crouching down as well as he closely examined the face.

“Mhm, possibly. But, I suppose it’s not our job to find out. Would you like to do the honors, or should I?” Damien said, gesturing at the body.

“I’ll do it, you got the last one.” Ray said, and reached out to grab the corpse’s arm. As he did so, the silver glow intensified. He tugged on the now-silver arm, and a silver copy of the body separated itself from the actual corpse. It flowed as if it were caught adrift in a nonexistent breeze, as the copy emerged, bit by bit, from the original. Soon, the two were separate, but instead of falling back to earth, the silver version drifted upward lazily, like a balloon on a summer breeze. Eventually, Ray had to stand up and let it go, causing it to speed up and vanish into the blue sky. 

“Done and done.” Ray stretched and rolled his shoulders back, before looking over at Damien with a grin. “I’m glad it wasn’t a lost spirit, I’ve liked being on our own.” Ray said, still smiling as he took Damien’s hand. He returned the smile and squeezed Ray’s hand.

“It’s been nice. Especially now that we’re officially legal, too,” He said, pulling his twine necklace out of his shirt with his free hand. At the end of it, a beautiful, black feather hung, secured to the string by a sturdy metal cap. Ray smiled at him and pulled out his almost identical necklace.

“Over 100 years of being unofficially married, being told we’re unnatural, and shouldn’t be Sentinels. All of that leading to today, when we are finally able to be ourselves. It’s beautiful.” Ray said, twirling the twine between his fingers. Damien stepped over to Ray, and put his head on Ray’s shoulder.

“I love you so much, my ray of sunshine.”

“I know. And I love you too, my dear,” Ray said, kissing Damien’s forehead. He hummed, content. After a moment, Damien stood up and stretched. As he looked up, however, he thought he saw a glint of silver in the sky above them. 

“Hey, Ray?”

“Hm?” Ray said, tucking his necklace back into his shirt.

“Is-Is there something above us?” Ray looked up and scanned the narrow view of the sky that could be seen from the alley. 

“I don’t see anything, but if you saw something, then possibly. What did you see?”

“Silver, and-and maybe black?” Damien said, face paling. Ray’s eyes went wide.

“We should get out of here.” But before they could, a giant, dragon like creature hovered above the alley. It had far too many eyes, all a stark pitch black against the silver of its body. Its wings blotted out their view of the bright blue sky, its bulk barely fitting into the narrow alley. As it started to squeeze between the two brick walls, Damein and Ray shot out the side of the alley, running for their lives. It was a mark of their closeness, that the two were able to work in sync with barely a glance shared between them. One end of the alley ended in yet another rough brick wall, and the sides had only narrow exits far too small to fly through. But, what seemed miles away, was a sliver of sunlight at the other end. Wingtips scraping the brick, ruining feathers, they raced to the end of the alley. 

But not fast enough.

“Damien!” Ray shouted as he glanced back and saw the beast racing toward them, only slightly hindered by its size. But not enough. It was gaining. Damien glanced back and his mouth became a grim, determined line.

“We can do it, Ray, we just have to get to the open!” Damien shouted, frantically flapping his wings, straining to go even faster. However, when Ray glanced back, he locked eyes with the beast and suddenly, he was hypnotized. He slowed, and helplessly stared at the monster hurtling towards him. Damien slowed when he realized that he no longer felt Ray’s presence at his side. He looked back, and saw the beast almost on top of Ray.

“Ray!” he shouted, and struggled to turn around in the narrow alley. He started to fly towards him, but it was too late.

He could only watch helplessly, even as he sped as fast as his wings would take him. The monster reached Ray, and lunged to bite him. Suddenly, Ray snapped awake from his trance and tried to escape, but it wasn’t quite enough. He managed to dodge the worst of its teeth, but a few still found their way into his arm. But, in a moment of panic, Ray managed to grab for the retractable spear at his belt. Even though he didn’t have time to open it, he used the blunt end of it to hit the beast between its two biggest eyes. The impact stunned it for a second, long enough for Damien to reach Ray and retrieve his own spear.

With a quick flick of his wrist, a blade sprung out of the end, and Damien took up a fighting stance. He faced the beast, even though he felt like he might pass out at any moment. He jabbed his spear toward the monster, in an attempt to frighten it away. It looked from him to Ray, and was about to lunge when it seemed to hesitate. It cocked its head, as if listening to something. Then suddenly, it turned around and scrambled up the brick wall, its claws sinking into the bricks like butter.

But, as it did so, its thin, razor sharp tail lashed around toward Damien and Ray, slicing the air with a shrill whistle. Damien felt his arm go numb as its tail sliced through his shirt, as if it wasn’t even there. Then Ray, who was standing in front of him and had taken the brunt of the attack, collapsed into his arms. 

“Ray! Oh no, Ray, please, no. Ray!” Damien stuttered, looking down at the man lying semi-conscious in his arms. 

“‘s okay, Damien. ‘m fine.” Ray slurred, his eyes unfocused. Damien wondered what kind of venom the thing had. 

Ray, despite his insistence, was not fine. The monster had sliced him across the chest, its sharp tail cutting through his shirt as easily as it had cut through Damien’s. His light gray blood sluggishly flowed onto the concrete ground, dripping into a small puddle at their feet. 

“Oh, Ray…” Damien whispered as he saw the pool forming at his feet. He froze, panicking for a second, before realizing that he had to do something. 

Anything. 

Whatever it took to make Ray okay.

Whatever he had to.

Ray had to be okay.

He had to.


	2. Chapter Two

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey! I hope you're enjoying this so far, and hold on. The angst really starts to pick up in this chapter :)
> 
> Tw: Hospital, blood, and I think that's it. If there's anything I missed let me know!

Damien spread his wings and soared into the air, carrying Ray in his arms, trying his best to keep him steady. He was mindless of his own injury that blazed in his arm; all he could hope was that his arm would be able to support Ray’s weight. His bulky wings didn’t make carrying him easy, but there was nothing to do about it. All he could do was hold on. Hold on and hope.

He carried Ray for what felt like miles, flying as fast as his overworked wings could, speeding towards the nearest hospital. There, he knew, someone would know what to do. How to help Ray. He flew over and around buildings, snippets of other lives flashing below him as he rushed to save the one that mattered the most to him. After what seemed like far too long and also no time at all, he saw the outline of the hospital on the horizon. Breathing an exhausted sigh of relief, Damien closed the gap to it, and landed on the roof, his legs collapsing beneath him. He fell to the ground, and Ray rolled out of his arms as he lay on the hot concrete of the helipad. After a moment, he heard a door open, followed by rushed footsteps. Cool hands picked him up and carried him inside, and his last thought as the world faded to black around him was that he hoped he made it in time.

\-----

Damien woke up to a cool, artificial breeze blowing across his face. He was confused for a second, forgetting what had happened, until it rushed over him in a wave. The fight, Ray bleeding out, his panicked flight,  _ Ray bleeding out _ , passing out when he reached the hospital,  **_Ray bleeding out oh god is he okay_ ** . Damien felt his heart start to race as he thought about what he would do if Ray was… no. He couldn’t even think about it. He had to be okay. He hadn’t strained himself so hard just to fail.

He lay there for a while, eyes still closed, refusing to open them and have to face the world. He wanted to know what had happened to Ray, but fear stopped him. Plus, he was so tired, opening his eyes would be a monumental task, was it really worth it? He was laying on a soft bed, covered by a soft, light sheet. After weeks of working long hours, sleeping wherever he could, having an actual bed was nice. Soon, even his thoughts slowed, and he fell into a deep, but not dreamless, sleep.

\-----

Nightmares plagued him, waking him every couple of hours. Nightmares of him falling out of the sky, unable to fly and help Ray. Plummeting to the earth, ending as he hit the hard pavement. Nightmares of the fire that had scorched him over a hundred years ago. Nightmares of Ray dying, or leaving him, or ignoring him altogether. He would wake up, drenched in a cold sweat, swearing he wouldn’t go back to sleep, only to drift back to sleep and start the cycle again. This went on for what seemed like an eternity, until Damien was woken up, not by a nightmare, but by something tugging on his arm. He saw bright, harsh lights from behind his eyelids, and heard a gentle voice from his right.

“It’s alright. I’m just changing the bandage on your arm. It’s okay. You’re safe now.” Damien tried to open his eyes to see the source of the voice, but the light was too much for his eyes, so he had to shut them again. He tried again, and managed to open his eyes a tiny crack, just enough to see a clean, white ceiling above him. 

“Ah, good. You’re awake. You’d been starting to make us worried. Now, how are you feeling?” Damien didn’t know what to say. Physically, he felt fine, excluding the lingering pain in his right arm and his exhaustion. Mentally, however… 

“I’ve been better,” he croaked, his voice hoarse from disuse. The voice chuckled. 

“I would imagine so. Ah, but let me introduce myself. My name’s Hazel. If you ever need anything, just let me know, and I’ll get it for you.” Damien nodded slightly, and immediately regretted it as a splitting headache started to roll around in his skull. He must have winced, because he quickly heard Hazel say, “I’ll see if I can get you any more painkillers. The last dose is probably wearing off by now.” With that, he heard her leave, and he was once again on his own.

\-----

Damien had fallen back asleep, fortunately without any nightmares, when he woke up again to the sound of footsteps. This time, he was able to open his eyes a little more, and turned his head to see who was approaching. He saw a woman with brown hair, giant black wings, and a freckled face come to the side of the bed.

“How are you doing?” she asked with a gentle southern accent, and Damien realized she was the one he heard earlier. 

“Better,” he answered, before being struck with a wave of fear yet again. “How-um, how is Ray? The person who was with me?” He asked, hand unconsciously going to his necklace. He twirled it between his fingers, grateful it was still there.

“He’s recovering. He was injured very badly, but the doctors say he should be fine as long as he has time to rest.” She said, eyes briefly glancing at the necklace in his hand.

“Oh thank goodness,” he said, letting out a breath he hadn’t noticed he had been holding. “Can I see him?” 

“I’m afraid not. You’re still hurt yourself, and he really does need to rest.”

“But I’m his-” 

“I’m sorry, there’s nothing to do about it. You’ll be able to see him later, but not right now. If you don’t mind me asking, however, how did you two get hurt?” Damien sighed, and recounted the story to her. How they were cornered, how Ray fell behind, the monster’s seeming change of heart, and his frantic flight to the hospital. She listened to him, and when he was done, she nodded, concerned. 

“I’ve heard of those monsters. They’re called philisks, and they’re nasty things, apparently their skin is completely covered in a potent venom. Low doses just give vivid nightmares, but higher ones can knock you out or even kill you. I’m surprised you managed to get away alive.”

“Me too,” Damien said, staring at the plain, cream-colored wall behind her. He had heard stories of the monsters, but never met someone who had actually seen one and lived to tell about it.


	3. Chapter Three

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I don't have much to add here, other than I hope you enjoy this chapter!
> 
> Tw: hospital, and I think that's actually it! Let me know if I left anything out :)

For the next few days, Damien drifted in and out of consciousness. He would wake up, usually due to Hazel entering his room, and talk to her. She would do medical things he didn’t quite understand, and leave. Soon after, he would drift off again, sometimes with dreams, sometimes not, though never with the nightmares he had before. Then, he would wake up again when Hazel came back, and the cycle continued. Eventually, he managed to wake up on his own and examine his surroundings. There wasn’t anything particularly interesting in the room, he noticed. All there was was a tacky landscape picture on the wall, some chairs, and a large window that took up a majority of one of the walls. On the other side of the bed, there was a wall and a curtain that kept the rest of the room out of his view. He lay there for a while, wondering where the humans were. It had been many years since he had gone to a hospital, and then humans would unknowingly wander into his room, unable to see him. But this time, he hadn’t seen a single one. He wondered if it was because he had been asleep or unconscious so much that he just happened to miss them. 

After a while, he saw the curtain move, and Hazel walked in. She smiled, and said,

“Glad to see you’re awake. How’re you feeling?” 

“Surprisingly well, I think. I thought I’d still be exhausted from the flight here, or something like that,” Damien said, before asking, “So, am I allowed to get up yet? I’d like to be able to stretch my wings, or at least get off them.” Hazel nodded, and offered her hand. Damien rolled onto his side and dragged himself off the bed, using Hazel’s hand to steady himself. His wings always complicated getting up from a bed, especially when he had been laying on them. But he managed, and he got to his feet, only slightly having to lean on Hazel. She led him out the door, past mostly empty hallways, though there were a handful of humans, presumably doctors or nurses, outside some of the rooms. They walked around for a while, Damien trying to stretch his wings despite the hallway being slightly too narrow for his wings to be fully unfurled. Eventually, Damien asked, 

“Is there any way I could see Ray yet? I’m glad for the chance to be able to walk around and all, but I really do want to see him.” Hazel looked at him, paused for a second, and said, 

“I suppose I haven’t been told I can’t take you now. And the last thing I heard was that he woke up earlier. But,” she said with a stern look, “If he is asleep, you leave him alone and go back to bed, okay?”

“Okay,” Damien said, smiling.

They walked down the hallways, and eventually stopped outside one of the rooms. Hazel gestured for Damien to go in, which he did, suddenly overwhelmed by nervousness. What if Ray blamed him for what happened? Or if he said he didn’t want to see him? But Damien swallowed his nerves and entered the room. Ray was lying on the bed, staring at the ceiling. When he heard them come in, he looked over at them. He blinked, then smiled and said, 

“Damien? Is that you?” Damien nodded, feeling his eyes start to tear up.

“Yes, it’s me, darling.” he said, walking over to the side of the bed. He grabbed Ray’s hand and said, “You have no idea how happy I am to see you.”

“You don’t know how happy I am to see you either, my dear,” Ray said, lightly kissing Damien’s hand. Behind him, Damien heard Hazel clearing her throat. He turned around and saw her smiling at him.

“I think I’m going to step out into the hallway. If you need anything, just shout at me,” she said, before stepping outside the room. Damien turned back to Ray.

“I didn’t know if I would ever see you again. I was so worried that I had been too slow, or that there was nothing that could be done, or, or-” Ray shook his head, making him wince a little, which made Damien stop talking.

“I’m fine. Well, relatively speaking. I’ve been better, but from what I’ve heard, I was a lot worse earlier. But that doesn’t matter now,” Ray said with a smile. “I’m alive, thanks to you. At least,” he said, shrugging his shoulders slightly, “as alive as we can be, as Sentinels.” Damien squeezed Ray’s hand. He wanted to give Ray a hug and assure him that this would be the last time they would be in danger, but he knew that being Sentinels was not a safe job. Plus, hugging him would probably only hurt him, as the bandages still wrapped around his chest and arm seemed to suggest that it wouldn’t be the best idea. So instead, he cupped Ray’s cheek with his hand, and then bent over and gently pressed a kiss to his lips. As he did so, he heard a knock from behind him. He jumped backwards, temporarily forgetting what year it was, scared to be caught. After a moment, his mind caught up and he relaxed, though only slightly. He turned around to see who had come in.

“I’m sorry to disturb you two, but I was coming in to check on Ray. I see he’s feeling better.” The new speaker said with a small smile, who was presumably a nurse. She had long, blonde hair, purple rimmed glasses, and her large black wings were neatly tucked behind her back. Damien blushed and looked at his feet. He heard Ray chuckle and say, 

“Of course. How could I not be, with my amazing husband here? He’s the reason I’m alive, after all.” Damien blushed an even darker red, and shifted from foot to foot.

“I’m not the only reason you’re alive, you know. The doctors did a fair amount of work, more than I ever did.” he mumbled, avoiding eye contact with both Ray and the nurse. Damien could hear the smile in Ray’s voice as he replied,

“Perhaps, but they didn’t fly themselves to exhaustion getting me here, even though they were injured already.” Damien spun around to look at Ray.

“How do you know that?”

“I asked what happened to you, and they told me.”

“As easy as that?”

“You know I can be very insistent when I don’t know something,” Ray said, grinning. Damien shook his head, smiling. 

“Still, I wish you hadn’t asked. I know you, and I don’t want you worrying about me, especially when you should be focusing on recovering.” 

“Hey, I’m well enough to kiss you, aren’t I? I would say that’s enough to be able to spare some energy worrying about your wellbeing.” Damien opened his mouth to argue, but was cut off.

“I hate to interrupt you two again, but I really do need to be able to do my job.” the nurse said, with a pointed look at Damien. “And you, sir,” she said, turning her stare to Ray, “need to rest. Just because you’re feeling better doesn’t mean you don’t need to recover still. For that matter, that applies to you too, Damien.”

“But-” Damien started, reaching for Ray’s hand.

“But nothing.” Her eyes softened. “Maybe I can arrange for you two to see each other more, but for now, you both need to rest.” Damien looked longingly at Ray, who squeezed his hand in return. Damien smiled slightly, before letting go of his hand. 

“I’ll see you later, my ray of sunshine,” he said, as Hazel reentered the room.

“And I’ll see you, my love,” Ray replied, smiling. Hazel came up to Damien’s elbow and gently pulled him out of the room. As they left, she smiled at him, and said, 

“You know, you two are really cute.” Damien blushed bright red and was speechless for a moment, unsure of how to respond. She laughed, and took him back to his room.

\-----

The next day was uneventful, as was the one after that, but the following day, Hazel came in, grinning.

“Good news! I’ve been given the all clear to discharge you, so you can go back to wherever you were before.” Damien smiled back at her, but it faltered when he realized he was forgetting something important.

“What about Ray?” he asked. “Is he discharged too?” Hazel’s smile lessened.

“No, not yet. He was hurt much more seriously than you. But,” she said, brightening, “you can visit him now, without an escort. And, you won’t have to go back to your room after.” Damien thought for a second, then nodded. 

“I’ll do that, then.”

With that, he rolled off the bed and made his way to Ray’s room. He knocked on the door frame, and entered. As he did, he saw Ray sleeping soundly. He still wasn’t back to his usual self, Damien could tell, because he was still a few shades too pale, and he never slept so still unless he was hurt. Not wanting to disturb him, Damien sat in a chair at the side of the bed, and pulled out the twine necklace he wore. He twirled it between his fingers and thought about how much it meant to him, and how the man who gave it to him had gotten injured what seemed like not that long ago.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just the usual warnings, enjoy! And sorry for any typos, I didn't proofread this chapter :p

A few minutes later, Ray’s nurse, Molly, she said her name was, walked in. Damien looked up, startled out of his thoughts. 

“I’ve been discharged, so I thought I would stay here with him.” Molly nodded.

“I heard. I was coming in to check on him, but I see he’s still asleep.” Damien nodded in response, then stared into space, fidgeting. Molly glanced out into the hallway, before ducking back inside.

“You know what? I think I’m going to stay here. I know he’s asleep, but Janice is out there, and if I leave, she’ll be on me like, well, a hawk,” Molly said, fluttering her wings slightly. “She’ll talk my ear off about her great-something grandchildren, Sam and Ella, and show me pictures of them from wherever. ‘Oh, look at them, aren’t they cute? Oh, look at this one, they’re at a petting zoo! See? They’re petting the chickens in this one, look!’ ” Damien looked around uncomfortably. He didn’t feel like talking to anyone at that moment, especially because he was worried it would wake Ray. She went on,

“I don’t even know how she got the pictures, but whatever,” she sighed. “I’m glad me and my QPP never wanted to adopt children or anything. I don’t want to end up like her in 100 years.” Damien, who had been following the conversation, if somewhat reluctantly, was suddenly thrown off.

“I’m sorry,” he said before she could continue on with her rant, “but what’s a QPP?” she blinked, seemingly confused, before responding, 

“Ah, I’m sorry, I forgot that not everyone is as young as I am. No offense.” Damien motioned for her to continue. “Right, right. Okay. A QPP stands for queer platonic parter, which is the name for your partner in a QPR.” Damien opened his mouth to ask another question, but Molly saw and cut him off. “You want to know what a QPR is?” He nodded. “Okay, so,” She rambled on for a while, describing QPRs, and started delving into topics he hadn’t heard of before, including aromanticism and asexuality. But then, she said something that held him up.

“I’m sorry,” he started, “but what do you mean by a lack of sexual attraction? For asexuals? I’m trying to understand, but…”

“I understand,” she said, smiling gently, “This is a complicated topic. Basically, a lack of sexual attraction means that you never have… how do I put this? You never have any sort of sexual thoughts about a person? Like, maybe in general, but not directed at anyone. If that makes sense? And romantic attraction-”

“Wait a second,” Damien interrupted, lips pursed. “People… think those thoughts… about other people?” he said haltingly. Damien’s face was pure confusion as he tried to sift through her words.

“I haven’t experienced it personally, but from what I can tell, yes. And of course, aromantic and asexual are not always a set pair. Someone could be asexual but not aromantic, or vice versa.”

“And, if someone was like this, asexual, I mean,” Damien said, a look of realization begining to dawn on his face, “would they be less comfortable with, you know…” Molly nodded.

“That’s more to deal with sex aversion or repulsion, but yeah, a lot of asexuals fall into that category. Of course, a lot of others don’t, but-” she stopped suddenly, noticing the look on Damien’s face. “Are you okay?” Damien was staring into space, eyes wide. 

“I’m fine, I just…” He trailed off. He felt tears pricking at the corners of his eyes. “I always thought,” he said in a whispered voice, “that I was… broken. That something was wrong with me. Because… I never wanted that. Never. Not in all the 140 something years I’ve been alive. I was convinced,” he continued, his voice catching in his throat, “that I was alone, and that Ray-” he stopped, and said in a voice so quiet he wasn’t sure Molly would be able to hear him. “That Ray didn’t deserve someone broken, someone like me.” Molly’s face softened, and she gently put a hand on Damien’s knee.

“From what I’ve seen, your relationship with Ray is amazing. And if you love him, which I assume you do, seeing as you married him,” Damien nodded, his hand reaching for his necklace, “then your asexuality shouldn’t be a problem for you two, as long as you have good communication.” Damien nodded again. 

“That’s one thing we’ve worked out together, over the years. How to communicate.” He said, a tear slowly rolling down his cheek. “I can’t believe that I’m not broken. All these years…” He trailed off. Holly patted his knee again.

“I’m glad I could help you learn something about yourself. Now, I’m sorry, but I have to go. I have other patients I have to attend to still. I think Ray can wait a bit, at least till he’s awake. After all, there’s not much I can do except let him continue to rest.” Damien said nothing, still lost in his thoughts. She left the room, and Damien looked over at Ray, waiting for him to wake up.


	5. Chapter Five

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the break in posting! Life started happening, but things are resolved for the moment so the last chapter should hopefully be able to go up tomorrow. These last two chapters were ones I didn't mean to write but this story is so close to me I couldn't let it go. Also no I'm not projecting what I want onto Ray what are you talking about definitely not.  
> Tw: mentions of the hospital, and I think that's it! Again, if I missed anything just let me know!

Damien’s POV

Damien looked out over the empty fields in front of them, sitting cross legged on the roof of a semi truck. Ray was sitting directly behind him, gently grooming his wings. His hands were cool and calming on Damien’s wings, which were still slightly sore from the frantic flight he had just over a week ago. That was an experience he was never going to forget, nor was the revelation he had the day both he and Ray were released from the hospital. He still hadn’t told Ray, but he didn’t know if he could keep it hidden any longer.

“Hey, Ray?”

“Mhm?” Ray hummed, clearly still focused on Damien’s wings.

“Can I tell you something?” Damien asked, glad that Ray was behind him and couldn’t see his face turning bright red from nerves.

“You always can, my dear. You know that.” Ray’s voice was quiet and soothing, as if he was already comforting Damien about what he was going to say.

“I know, but this is important.” He tried to keep his voice steady, but it quavered near the end. Ray’s hands paused, then he scooted around until he could look directly at him. He carefully looked at Damien’s face before softly asking,

“What is it?” Damien felt tears spring to the corners of his eyes, and he looked at his knees, trying to avoid his gaze. Ray put a hand on Damien’s shoulder, but the unexpected touch caused him to tense up. Ray quickly took his hand back, and slowly put it on his knee. Seeing that Damien seemed to relax slightly, he left it there. Damien tried to talk, but the words were caught in his throat. After a minute, he managed to start.

“Do you remember two days ago, when we were released from the hospital? When you woke up and I was crying?” Ray hesitated, before saying,

“I do. You said you would tell me what it was about later.”

“Well,” Damien said, swallowing. “It’s later.” He took a deep breath and said, “While you were asleep, Molly came in, and she started talking to me. After a while, she mentioned something, called asexuality.” He saw Ray’s eyebrows twitch slightly in the corner of his eye, but he said nothing. Damien continued, “She started describing it, and Ray-” Damien felt a tear start to roll down his cheek. He finished in a whisper, “She described me.”

As he said it, he kept his eyes firmly on his knees. He couldn’t face Ray, couldn’t see his reaction. Until suddenly, he felt the lightest brush of a hand on his cheek as Ray gently wiped away his tears. He asked simply,

“Are you sure, my dear?” Damien tried to talk but found he couldn’t, so he instead nodded his head slightly. “Then, would you mind telling me what it is? I am afraid I’m rather in the dark, here.” Damien nodded again, and took a deep breath. He started in a whisper, gradually gaining more confidence the longer he talked, but his voice remained low and quiet. Ray listened attentively, occasionally making noises to show he was listening, but otherwise he was silent. When Damien was finished, he let out a shaky breath and looked at Ray. 

“Well?” he asked. He didn’t know how Ray would react, but he didn’t expect him to hug him. He tensed slightly at the unexpected contact, before quickly sinking into his arms. Ray held him tightly, and whispered in his ear.

“My dear, I’m so glad you found a word to describe yourself. Know that I love and accept you, as I have for the past 135 years. And don’t worry about this drastically changing our relationship, you’ve been asexual for all of our relationship, and it’s never come between us. All that’s changed is that you know you’re not alone in your feelings.” Damien felt another tear trickle down his cheek, as he buried his face in Ray’s shoulder. 

“I love you,” he said, his words muffled. Ray rubbed his back comfortingly, and said,

“And I love you too, my dear.” They stayed like that well into the night, Damien held tightly in Ray’s arms, until they both fell asleep.


	6. Chapter Six

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Okay I actually have time to put together a proper summary so hello! This is the final chapter of this drabble (that really is too long to be called a drabble but whatever), but I have more works I plan on posting! Damien and Ray's story is a long, complicated one, and it's far from over. This chapter, however, is a bonus one that I threw on the end, and if Ray feels out of character it's probably because a) this is the first time I've written from Ray's perspective and b) I was projecting what I wanted in a partner onto Ray so he's typically not this perfect. I promise in the future he is a fully fleshed character with flaws. But for now, I hope you enjoy this, same warnings apply, and I love you all, thank you for reading this mess of a story :)

Ray’s POV

Ray sat crossed legged on the roof of the semi, carefully grooming Damien’s large, black wings in front of him. His wings were warm under his hands as he focused on keeping his hands steady. His arm still hurt from the philisk’s bite, but he refused to show even a hint of soreness to Damien, because he knew that if he did, he would immediately tell him to rest. And after the week they had spent in the hospital, he had had enough of that to last him the next 100 years. Instead, he sat there in a comfortable silence, gently straightening Damien’s feathers. They stayed like this for a few minutes, before Damien suddenly said,

“Hey, Ray?” 

“Mhm?” He hummed, focusing on Damien’s wings. He wasn’t surprised he wanted to talk; it had been clear since the day they left the hospital that he had something on his mind. He was honestly surprised he hadn’t said something earlier.

“Can I tell you something?” Damien continued quietly. Ray felt Damien’s wings and shoulders tense, so he responded as gently and as soothing as he could, wishing he could do more. Instead, he simply said,

“You always can, my dear. You know that.” 

“I know, but this is important.” His voice quivered near the end of his sentence, causing Ray’s thoughts to start racing. Did he hate him? Did he think that he was too clingy or too pushy? Had he realized Ray was hiding the full extent of his injuries? Was **he** more severely injured than he had told him? His hands paused in their methodical movements, and he scooted around to face him. Immediately, he could tell by Damien’s eyes that he wasn’t mad. But there was still something in his eyes that worried him. Not wanting to distress him further, he softly asked,

“What is it?” Damien looked down, and Ray saw tears at the corners of his eyes. He felt a wave of- sadness? pity? Ray couldn't tell. Whatever it was, he lightly put a hand on Damien’s shoulder to comfort him. As he did so, however, he felt him tense up. Not wanting to make things worse, he moved his hand, slowly putting it on his knee. The touch seemed to make him relax slightly, so he left it there. Damien opened his mouth, as if he was going to say something, but closed it again. After another false start, he quietly said,

“Do you remember two days ago, when we were released from the hospital? When you woke up and I was crying?” Ray hesitated, worried. After a brief pause, he said,

“I do. You said you would tell me what it was about later.” Damien 

“Well,” Damien paused, “It’s later.” He took a deep breath, and said a little hurriedly, 

“While you were asleep, Molly came in, and she started talking to me. After a while, she mentioned something, called asexuality.” Ray lifted his eyebrow slightly. He had never heard of asexuality, but he didn’t want to interrupt. Damien continued, “She started describing it, and Ray-” Ray saw a tear on Damien’s cheek as he whispered, “She described me.” Ray didn’t know what to do for a moment, before quickly deciding. He gently lent over to Damien, who was still keeping his eyes firmly locked on his knees, and lightly brushed the tear off of his cheek. Not knowing what to ask first, he said,

“Are you sure, my dear?” Damien nodded ever so slightly. Ray continued, “Then, would you mind telling me what it is? I am afraid I’m rather in the dark, here.” Damien nodded again, and took a deep breath. He started explaining, and Ray listened attentively to Damien’s quiet voice, nodding occasionally or making noises to show he was listening, but otherwise he stayed silent. When Damien finished he let out a breath and looked over at Ray resignedly. He asked,

“Well?” Ray didn’t pause before quickly pulling Damien into a hug. He felt him tense slightly, but he quickly relaxed into the embrace. Ray held him tightly, and whispered in his ear,

“My dear, I’m so glad you found a word to describe yourself. Know that I love and accept you, as I have for the past 135 years. And don’t worry about this drastically changing our relationship, you’ve been asexual for all of our relationship, and it’s never come between us. All that’s changed is that you know you’re not alone in your feelings.” Damien sniffled and buried his face in Ray’s shoulder. He mumbled,

“I love you,” Ray rubbed his back comfortingly, smiling at his husband in his arms as he said,

“And I love you too, my dear.” They stayed like that well into the night, Damien held tightly in Ray’s arms, until they both fell asleep.


End file.
